Mail Fraud Accusations Surface In 2nd Ward Aldermanic Race
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- In the primary race for Chicago's 2nd aldermanic ward, allegations of mail fraud have surfaced against the incumbent, Madeline Haithcock.
WBBM's Debra Dale reports.
At a news conference today, Haithcock, joined by congressman Bobby Rush, vehemently denied any allegation of wrongdoing. She said any delays in the delivery of the campaign literature of her rivals were due to problems with the postal service.
Both the Unite HERE political action fund and the campaign of Democratic challenger Bob Fioretti claim that large numbers of their campaign brochures have been held up in the mail.
A spokesperson for the campaign of Haithcock opponent, Bob Fioretti, says they sent a complaint letter last month to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald alleging they had received anonymous accusations from postal workers that supervisors at one substation had ordered them to throw away some of Fioretti's mailings.
His campaign manager said the problems stopped after the letter, but that the campaign mailing that prompted the complaint has still never reached the homes in one zip code.
Unite HERE claims about $10,000 worth of campaign brochures against Haithcock got held up in the mail. It also claims that in a number of high-rises managed by Haithcock supporters, challenger's campaign mailings are not being delivered.
Gordon Haithcock, Madeline's husband, spent 41 years with the Postal Service, before retiring in 1989.
Ald. Haithcock faces five challengers in the Democratic primary. The 2nd Ward, which extends just south of the Loop and over to the West Side, has been experiencing a building boom and many new highrises in the last several years.
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